One Pittsburgh Steelers Rookie Who Could Win a Starting Job Out of Camp
Newsweek · C · trust 52/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. With teams on their month-long break from mid-June to mid-July in between minicamp and training camp, we’ve reached the deadest point of the NFL offseason.
But fortunately for football fans, there’s just three weeks left before training camp kicks off, followed by the preseason and regular season, which starts the week of Sept. 7.
Until then, we’ve done training camp previews and analyzed the top position battle to watch for all 32 teams. Next up in our offseason series is looking at one rookie from every team who could win a starting job in training camp this season, and today we’re looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers’ offensive line play last year was hit or miss.
Center Zach Frazier (1,085 snaps player, one sack and 11 pressures allowed) was the only reliable O-lineman Pittsburgh had. While right tackle Troy Fautano and left guard Isaac Seumalo had their moments, the Steelers need more consistency out of them this year.
Left tackle was by far the team’s Achilles heel, as Broderick Jones (six sacks, 23 pressures, and 11 hurries allowed on 623 snaps played) and Dylan Cook (nine pressures, three hurries, and two sacks allowed on 346 snaps played) both struggled to keep Aaron Rodgers upright.
Plugging in 6-foot-6, 321-pound Max Iheanachor at a tackle spot may happen as early as Week 1. Jones has been a bust after being picked 14th overall back in 2023. He’s been so bad that the Steelers are likely to flip Fautano to the left side and try Iheanachor as the starter on the right side.
Iheanachor played primarily right tackle at Arizona State, so the transition to the NFL should be seamless. In three seasons with the Sun Devils, Iheanachor allowed just three sacks, and he had two seasons where he allowed zero sacks and surrendered fewer than 15 pressures.
Keeping Rodgers upright and healthy is Pittsburgh’s top priority, and Iheanachor may give them the best odds of that.
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